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| Time has come for India to block water to Pakistan | | Treaty of sorrow | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, Nov 8: The people and politicians of Jammu & Kashmir and strategic affairs experts are frantically soliciting the Centre's support in favour of their age-old demand of abrogating the 1960 World Bank- brokered Indus Water Treat (IWT). They say that the treaty has only spelt disaster for the State and ruined it financially. Sadly, however, the treaty has been repeatedly hailed by Pakistan friends and so-called some water experts as a "triumph of the UN system". Others of their describe the IWT as an outstanding "example of a successful settlement of a major international river basin conflict".
On the other hand, the critics of the IWT in Jammu & Kashmir say that New Delhi has bartered away its "financial interests" in the name of "national interest" and that there is only one way in which the State's financial position can be improved and that is by abrogating the harsh treaty. The demand just cannot be dismissed out of hand. Nor can the charge be construed as a manifestation of the people's selfish contentions. There are cogent reasons for them to denounce it and demand not only its abrogation, but also compensation for the very heavy losses they have suffered during these 56 years. The State Government puts the annual loss due to the treaty at more than Rs 20,000 crore.
What is the treaty all about? Why do the people and politicians of the State express themselves against the IWT? What are its baneful consequences as far as the stated financial interests are concerned?
Under the IWT, six rivers - Indus, Chenab and Jhelum (which flow through Jammu & Kashmir), Beas, Sutlej and Ravi (flowing through Himachal and Punjab) were evenly divided between India and Pakistan in order to enable the riparian States to use their waters for irrigation and power. Pakistan got Beas, Sutlej and Ravi and the rest were given to India. The Nehru dispensation also gave financial aid to the tune of Rs 83.3 crore to Pakistan to undertake developmental works like building storage reservoirs, link canals, tube wells, drainage and hydroelectric installations. In addition, Pakistan got more than Rs 300 crore from the United States, Britain, West Germany, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the World Bank as aid for the same.
As per the IWT, there is a restriction on the total storage created on the river systems of Jhelum, Chenab and Indus. Thus, Jammu & Kashmir can "undertake only run-of-water projects on the rivers". This means reduced power generation in the winters due to low discharge of water. The generation goes down by 25 to 30 per cent of the installed capacity from October to March.
Under the treaty, the State can use only limited waters of the Indus, Chenab and Jhelum for power generation and lift irrigation. It can't build reservoirs or dams on these rivers to store water for irrigation and power without the prior approval of Pakistan. Nor can it construct any barrage for irrigation.
It is because of this treaty that the State cannot exploit its power potential. According to one estimate, Jammu & Kashmir has the potential of generating 20,000 MW of electricity. It may appear unbelievable but the State so far has not been able to harness even one-tenth of this, leave alone those so-called mega Central sector power projects, including Salal in Jammu and Uri-I in Kashmir, which have an installed capacity of just 1,170 MW. The total installed capacity of the State-sponsored power projects, such as Lower Jhelum, Upper Sindh-I and Upper Sindh-II and Ganderwal (in Kashmir) and Chenani-I, II and III and Sewa (in Jammu) is approximately 300 MW as against the State's requirement of 4,000 MW. Even during the best seasons, the existing projects cannot generate more than 881 MW of power. The State depends upon the Northern Grid for power supply.
It would not be out of place to mention here that Islamabad has all along opposed the moves of the Jammu & Kashmir Government to construct power projects on the grounds that the construction of such projects will reduce the river water flow towards Pakistan. The latest example was its provocative concern that the 190-foot Nimo-Bazgoo concrete dam and 44 MW Chutak power project (Ladakh) will reduce the Indus river water flow towards Pakistan. The river Indus is the main freshwater source for Pakistan. Ninety per cent of its agriculture depends on the Indus waters.
It's time for New Delhi to mitigate the hardships of the people of Jammu & Kashmir and protect the national interests. It must come out with an alternative scheme that would give adequate authority to Jammu & Kashmir to use the water the way it wants. It must remember that the development of the infrastructure in the State, especially in Jammu province and the strategic trans-Himalayan Ladakh region is still very deficient.
Even otherwise, it has become imperative to review our stand on the treaty. A number of former diplomats have recommended this. For example, a former Ambassador to Italy, KP Fabian, has said: "India cannot accept a state of affairs where life-supporting water: flows from India to Pakistan for Pakistan's use under the IWT of 1960, uninterrupted even by the wars of 1965, 1971 and the Kargil war, whereas life-destroying terrorism flows in the reverse direction". Another former diplomat, Satish C Sharma, has expressed almost identical views: "India cannot supply water to the Pakistani masses so long as Pakistani terrorists continue killing innocent Indians". |
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